MnBi films for magnetooptic recording

Progress made during the past years in the area of magnetooptic data storage by the computer industry has been most impressive. Many material media and physical phenomena have been developed for this particular application. It now appears that a large capacity (gsim 10^{10}bits) magnetooptic data store possessing major advantages over the conventional recording techniques could be developed. Of the many materials and techniques advanced to date, the use of thin films of MnBi for thermomagnetic writing, erasing, and magnetooptic reading has received particularly intensive study because of the many unique properties of this film medium. In order to provide an assessment of the potential of this medium for optical memory application, we have included in this review the pertinent material physical properties of MnBi; the memory characteristics in regard to read, write, and erase operation; the physical process involved in the writing and erasure by thermomagnetic technique; the technique for detection of written information; and the utilization of this medium for magnetic holographic storage. Emphasis is given to the material properties and physical phenomena, rather than the systems considerations in using MnBi films for optical memory.     

Effect of annealing treatment on optical properties and microstructural variation of $$\hbox {WO}_{3}/\hbox {Ag}/\hbox {WO}_{3}$$ multilayer nano-films

Structural and optical properties of \(\text {WO}_{3}/\text {Ag}/\text {WO}_{3}\) nano-multilayer composites were investigated for heat mirror applications. \(\text {WO}_{3}/\text {Ag}/\text {WO}_{3}\) thin films were fabricated through a physical vapour deposition method by using electron-beam evaporation at the vacuum chamber at 10\(^{-5}\) Torr. \(\text {WO}_{3}\) nano-layer was fabricated at 40 nm. Annealing treatment was carried out at 100, 200, 300 and 400\(^{\circ }\)C for 1 h after the deposition of first layer of \(\text {WO}_{3}\) on the glass. On \(\text {WO}_{3}\) film, Ag nano-layers with 10, 12 or 14 nm thickness were deposited. Individual layers morphology was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and deduced that a smoother layer can be achieved after the annealing at 300\(^{\circ }\)C. Ellipsometry analysis was executed to determine both layers, Ag film thickness and inter-diffusion between the \(\text {WO}_{3}\)–Ag–\(\text {WO}_{3}\) layers. It was inferred that there was almost no interfering among the \(\text {WO}_{3}\)–\(\text {WO}_{3 }\) layers in the samples with 12 and 14 nm Ag thickness; while silver was deposited on the annealed \(\text {WO}_{3}\) layer at 300\(^{\circ }\)C. UV–visible spectrophotometer showed that the annealing treatment of the first \(\text {WO}_{3}\) layer enhanced the transparency of films in the visible region. The innovations of the present study have been based on the annealing of the films and finding an optimum thickness for the Ag film at 12–14 nm. Heat mirrors efficiency was assessed according to the principle of their optical behaviour and optimum performance obtained for 14 nm of Ag film, deposited on annealed tungsten oxide at 300\(^{\circ }\)C.     

Curie temperature and phase stability of MnBi films exposed to laser pulses of variable duration

Thermomagnetic writing on low-temperature phase MnBi films was investigated. By applying short laser pulses, the undesirable transformation to the quenched high-temperature phase is inhibited. The low-temperature phase proved to be stable when heated for magnetic switching with pulses shorter than 10 μs. The transient temperature during laser heating of a 20 μm diameter film spot was determined using a thin germanium film as a reference target. The temperature shift of the transmission spectrum (λ = 633 nm) of this semiconductor material serves for optical temperature indication. The threshold temperature for stable short-pulse thermomagnetic writing on MnBi was determined by this technique to be 550°C ± 25%. The decomposition temperature was determined to be 820°C ± 25%.     

Demagnetization-free longitudinal recording on flexible thin film metal media

The variation of demagnetization effects with media parameters for longitudinal contact recording has been investigated. Co-Re thin film metal media were sputtered onto flexible polyimide substrates. It was found that when the film thickness δ and demagnetizaton parameterB_{r}delta/H_{c}were less than 2 μ inch and 15 μinch, respectively, demagnetization-free longitudinal recording was obtained up to the recording density of 75 KFRPI at the head-to-medium spacing of 3 μ inch. As a result, recording densities of D50over 50 KFRPI were achieved with a 20 μinch gap head. For thicker films with larger demagnetization parameters, i.e.,delta geq 4 muinch andB_{r}delta/H_{c} geq 40 muinch, the longitudinal recording process approached the demagnetization limit. The results show that (with existing head field gradients) improvement in linear density of thin metal media can be obtained by an approximate factor of two before the demagnetization limit is reached.     

Effects of spacer layer elastic properties on metallic thin film edge-induced stress gradients in bubble memory devices

It is well-known that metallization edge-induced stresses can change the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy of a liquid phase epitaxial (LPE) garnet film near the metallization edge. We have investigated this magnetostrictive interaction of patterned metallic films with ion-implanted LPE films by using several different spacer layers such as polyimide, SiO2, Si3N4, and combinations of polyimide and SiO2beneath a Cr-Cu-Cr conductor pattern. It is concluded that the stress eliminating capability of a spacer depends on the hardness parameterK = frac{E_{s}(1-numin{f}max{2})}{E_{f}(1-numin{s}max{2})}whereE_{s} , E_{f}are Young's moduli andnu_{s}, nu_{f}are Poisson's ratios for the spacer and metallic film, respectively. The polyimide spacer withE_{s} < 10^{11}dyn/cm²and withK leq 0.1transmits an order of magnitude of smaller stress than a SiO2spacer withK geq 1with the stress being more uniformly distributed across the spacer.     

Magnetic properties of evaporated CoCr films

Perpendicular magnetic CoCr films were prepared on glass substrates using electron beam evaporation. The magnetic properties depend strongly on the substrate temperature, Ts. The anisotropy field,H_{k}^{eff}, and the perpendicular coercivity, Hc(perp) show maximum values at Tsaround 250°C. In this case, the alignment of c-axis is optimal and the grain size is smallest. The lattice spacing of the c-planes increases wlth Tsuntil 300°C. When the films prepared below 200°C were annealed around 300°C in high vacuum, the saturation magnetization, Ms, increased. The value of Ms, however, decrease by annealing above 400°C. In spite of the decrease of Msdue to the annealing above 400°C,H_{k}^{eff}and Hc(perp) increase by annealing above 400°C. If the films were bombarded by argon ions during film growth, Msdecreased and the internal stress changed from tensile to compressive. For low substrate temperature (below 150°C),H_{k}^{eff}decreased due to ion bombardment.     

Effect of $$\hbox {Ar}^{+}$$ ion implantation on the properties of electrodeposited CdTe thin films

Semiconducting nanomaterials of II–VI groups are the key elements of continued technological approaches made in the field of optoelectronic, magnetic and photonic devices due to their size-dependent properties. Ion beams create changes in the material along their track; this not only exhibits excellent properties but also tailors new materials. This article reports the effect of \(\hbox {Ar}^{+}\) ion implantation on the properties of cadmium telluride thin films of about 80 nm thickness. The implantation parameters were adjusted based on computer-aided learning using SRIM (stopping and range of ions in matter) software. The CdTe thin films were deposited by electrodeposition method on ITO substrate. Thin films of CdTe are exposed to \(\hbox {Ar}^{+}\) ions with different fluencies of \(1 \times 10^{15}\), \(5 \times 10^{15}\) and \(1 \times 10^{16} \, \hbox {ions cm}^{-2}\) at Ion Beam Centre, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, India. After implantation, the films were characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and a four-probe set-up with a programmable current–voltage (I–V) source metre. The scanning electron microscopy of pristine film showed smooth and uniform growth of sphere-shaped grains on substrate surface. From optical studies, the values of optical band gap for as-deposited and argon-ion-implanted thin films were calculated. It was found that values of optical band gap decreased with the increase in fluence of ion beam. From PL studies it was found that the intensity got increased with ion fluence. A considerable increase in current was noticed from I–V measurements with ion fluence after implantation. Different properties of pre- and post-implanted thin films are studied.     

Influence of an in-plane magnetic field on the domain-wall velocity in Ga: YIG films

Results are reported of an investigation on the velocity of a single straight magnetic domain wall in a Ga:YIG film as a function of the drive field and of a static magnetic field applied perpendicular to the wall in the plane of the film. At all drive fields a substantial increase of the wall velocity was observed when the in-plane field was applied. At an in-plane field of about 400 Oe and at a rather low drive field (2.4 Oe above the coercive field) a maximum value in wall velocity of 270 ms^-1was observed. At higher drive fields the wall velocity decreased to a constant value of 110 ms^-1, independent of the drive field. This behavior can be explained by extending Slonczewski's theory of domain wall motion to the present case. From the observed wall mobility parameter we have calculated the reduced Landau-Lifshitz damping constantlambda/gamma^{2}(3.7 times 10^{-9}Oe²s). This value is near to the value obtained by Spencer and LeCraw from linewidth measurements in FMR on Ga:YIG spheres (5 times 10^{-10}Oe²s).     

On spontaneous nucleation in field-accessed bubble devices

The dependence ot the in-plane drive field at which bubble domains spontaneously nucleate in field-accessed bubble devices has been investigated as a function ofH_{k} - 4piM_{s}and of spacer thickness between the bubble film and permalloy propagation elements. The experiments were carried out on amorphous GdCoMo bubble films with T-bar and Y-bar structures. For a given structure and spacer thickness the nucleation field increases linearly withH_{k} - 4piM. Larger spacer thicknesses also lead to increased nucleation fields. A model based on the Stoner-Wohlfarth astroid is compared to these data and found to be useful in explaining the qualitative trends, but to be in poor quantitative agreement. It is concluded that since the drive field required in a device is proportional to4piM_{s}, Q - 1 = (H_{k} - 4piM_{s})/4piM_{s}must be greater than some minimum value for a given device structure and spacer thickness to permit reliable device operation.     

Dependence of coercivity on driving field in multilayer films of nickel

The variation in the coercivity of magnetization loops of multilayer films of nickel was investigated as function of the rate of riserin the applied magnetic field. The films were prepared by deposition of nickel and copper alternately in a vacuum of2 times 10^{-6}mm of Hg on to substrates made of thin aluminium foils. The thickness of the nickel layersLvaried in the different films from 8 to 1000 angstroms. The loops were cycled with sinusoidal or triangular waveform driving fields, with a variety of amplitudes from 1 kOe to 4 kOe, with frequencies from 0.01 to 2 c/s. The measurements were performed from room down to liquid hydrogen temperatures. It was found that the coercive force could be expressed byH_{c} = H_{o} + Q(ln r - ln r_{o})/T^{1/2}for values ofrchanging from 1 to 5 Oe/ms, whereH_{o}, Aand rovaried slightly with temperatureT. The coercive force was a very sensitive function ofLand of the thickness δ of the copper layers, having the formH_{c} = A(L + delta) exp - BLwithBnearly constant in films deposited on a substrate at room temperature. The dependence of the coercivity onLwas displayed by a nonmonotonical function showing two peaks in Hccorresponding to values ofLof about 35 and 400 angstroms. The observed dependence of Hcon the rate of rise in the applied field, as well as on the thicknesses of the layers, can be discussed on the assumption of nonuniform magnetization within the thin layers as a result of their superparamagnetic properties and of the magneto-statical coupling between neighboring layers.     

Structure of chemically deposited polycrystalline-silicon films

The influence of the deposition conditions on the structure of chemically deposited, polycrystalline-silicon films has been examined. The films were deposited primarily onto oxidized silicon wafers by the thermal decomposition of silane over temperature and thickness ranges of 650°–1200°C and 0.6–15 microm, respectively. After an initial induction period, which exhibits an activation energy of about 1.0 eV, island-type nucleation was observed for deposition temperatures of 850° and 1025°C; however, no islands could be resolved for a deposition temperature of 650°C. Although {110}- and {111}-texture are both important in the thinner films, {110}-texture becomes dominant over most of the temperature range as the film thickness increases. The {100}-texture is important in thicker films deposited at higher temperatures. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the grain size increases with increasing film thickness and deposition temperature, ranging from less than 0.05 microm to more than 1 microm in the films studied. An investigation of the influence of the initial stages of deposition on the development of the texture indicated that the highly twinned {110}-grains, once nucleated, grow most rapidly. An anomalous, low-temperature structure, the effect of the reactant gas, and the influence of the substrate have been briefly investigated.     

Measurement of Out-of-Plane Thermal Conductivity of Epitaxial $$\hbox {YBa}_{2}\hbox {Cu}_{3}\hbox {O}_{7-{\delta }}$$ Thin Films in the Temperature Range from 10 K to 300 K by Photothermal Reflectance

We measured the out-of-plane (c-axis) thermal conductivity of epitaxially grown \(\hbox {YBa}_{2}\hbox {Cu}_{3}\hbox {O}_{7-{\delta }}\) (YBCO) thin films (250 nm, 500 nm and 1000 nm) in the temperature range from 10 K to 300 K using the photothermal reflectance technique. The technique enables us to determine the thermal conductivity perpendicular to a thin film on a substrate by curve fitting analysis of the phase lag between the thermoreflectance signal and modulated heating laser beam in the frequency range from \(10^{2}\,\hbox {Hz}\) to \(10^{6}\,\hbox {Hz}\). The uncertainties of measured thermal conductivity of all samples were estimated to be within \({\pm }9\,\%\) at 300 K, \({\pm }12\,\%\) at 180 K, \({\pm }16\,\%\) at 90 K and \({\pm }20\,\%\) below 50 K. The experimental results show that the thermal conductivity is dependent on the thickness of the thin films across the entire temperature range. We also observed that the thermal conductivity of the present YBCO thin films showed \(T^{1.4}\) to \(T^{1.6}\) glass-like dependence below 50 K, even though the films are crystalline solids. In order to explain the reason for this temperature dependence, we attempted to analyze our results using phonon relaxation times for possible phonon scattering models, including stacking faults, grain boundary and tunneling states scattering models.     

Measurements of superconducting Nb3Sn cavities in the GHz range

Superconducting Nb3Sn Cavities have potential advantages over rf cavities with Nb surfaces To test possible applications and to improve the understanding of Nb3Sn coatings on Nb, rf cavities have been measured between 1.5 and 8K and between 0.1 and 7GHz. The temperature dependence of the surface resistance R(T) indicates weak superconducting spots with transition temperaturesTmin{c}max{ast} < 1K andTmin{c}max{ast} simeq 2.5K. The normal conducting spotsTmin{c}max{ast} lsim 1K cause the large rf residual lossesR'_{res} propto f^{2}observed up to date. The spots withTmin_{c}max_{ast} simeq 2.5K cause temperature dependences ofR'(T)between 2 and 6K, where RBCS(Nb3Sn) is still negligible. In line withR_{res} propto f^{2}, the lowest rf lossesR_{res} < 2.10^{-9}Omegaand the highest field strengthB_{crit} = 83 m^{T}(wedgeE_{peak} = 29have been observed at the lowest frequency 0.1GHz measured. Surface resistance and penetration depth measurements have shown that grain boundaries or hydrogen clusters do not cause the weak spots observed withTmin{c}max{ast} < 2.5K. The origin and the chemistry of the weak spots withTmin{c}max{ast} lsim 1K, which cause the largeR_{res} propto f^{2}and the lowB_{crit} (T) simeq const, are still not clear. They seem related to the Nb3Sn surface. The weak spots withTmin{c}max{ast} simeq 2.5K consist most likely of Nb6Sn5, which in cooling below 950°C precipitates due to the excess Sn present in Nb3Sn coatings grown in Sn vapor.     

Bias susceptibility measurements in thin permalloy films

Susceptibility measurements at 5000 Hz have been performed in the easy and hard directions on two 80-20 Permalloy films (1000 Å, 1 cm in diameter) cut from large samples. The experimental results agree with the predictions of the Hoffmann theory. The susceptibility parallel to the average direction ofMis found to be proportional to1/(H - H_{k})^{7/4}or1/(H_{k} - H)^{7/4}when the net field is large enough to prevent blocking.     

Structural and Magnetic Properties of Amorphous and Nanocrystalline CoFeSiB Thin Films

This study examined the structural, magnetic, and transport properties of CoFeSiB films with various Co compositions. The main focus was on two samples, amorphous $hbox{Co}_{74}hbox{Fe}_{4}hbox{Si}_{14}hbox{B}_{8}$ and nanocrystalline $hbox{Co}_{78}hbox{Fe}_{2}hbox{Si}_{12}hbox{B}_{8}$ thin films. The results show that the amorphous film is a typical soft magnetic material, while the nanocrystalline film has a large saturation field. It is believed that in a nanocrystalline thin film, a large saturation field is caused by antiferromagnetic exchange at the boundary between the amorphous and nanocrystalline phases.      

Electrical and Thermal Characteristics of the Insulator–Metal Transition in Crystalline $$\hbox {V}_{2}\hbox {O}_{5}$$ Films

The electrical and thermal properties with respect to the crystallization in \(\hbox {V}_{2}\hbox {O}_{5}\) thin films were investigated by measuring the resistance at different temperatures and applied voltages. The changes in the crystal structure of the films at different temperatures were also explored using Raman measurements. The thermal diffusivity of the crystalline \(\hbox {V}_{2}\hbox {O}_{5}\) film was measured by the nanosecond thermoreflectance method. The microstructures of amorphous and crystalline \(\hbox {V}_{2}\hbox {O}_{5}\) were observed by SEM and XRD measurements. The temperature-dependent Raman spectra revealed that a structural phase transition does not occur in the crystalline film. The resistance measurements of an amorphous film indicated semiconducting behavior, whereas the resistance of the crystalline film revealed a substantial change near \(250\,{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\), and Ohmic behavior was observed above \(380\,{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\). This result was due to the metal–insulator transition induced by lattice distortion in the crystalline film, for which \(T_{\mathrm{c}}\) was \(260\,{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\). \(T_{\mathrm{c}}\) of the film decreased from 260 \({^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\) to \(230\,{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\) with increasing applied voltage from 0 V to 10 V. Furthermore, the thermal diffusivity of the crystalline film was \(1.67\times 10^{-7}\,\hbox {m}^{2}\cdot \hbox {s}^{-1}\) according to the nanosecond thermoreflectance measurements.     

The effect of gas atmospheres on resistivity of indium tin oxide films at high temperature

The effects of heat treatment in Q₂, O₂ and N₂, and Ar gases on the high temperature (500 C) electrical resistivity of indium tin oxide (ITO) film 52 nm thick prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis method were studied. The partial oxygen pressure effect on the resistivity was found to be to . The resistivity changes for cyclic exchange of O₂ by Ar gas at 500 C. These lead to the conclusion that chemisorption of oxygen atoms in the film surface is dominant for this thin film, for thicker films such as 640 nm oxygen diffusion is found to occur. The Langmuir model of the monolayer isothermal adsorption of oxygen atoms in the surface is applicable to the rapid change of resistivity.     

Sputter deposition of bismuth and aluminum substituted dysprosium iron garnet films using sol-gel derived targets

Bismuth and aluminum substituted dysprosium iron garnet (Bi, Al:DylG) films were prepared by r.f. sputtering using sol-gel derived targets. The sol-gel derived target was coating on a rigid wafer. The coating was derived from the paste formed by a mixture of powders and viscous sol, which were prepared by the sol-gel process using nitrates as precursors, in appropriate stoichiometric ratios of . X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that the crystallized films sputtered from the sol-gel derived targets are single phase garnet in nature, indicating that the sol-gel derived target is indeed a feasible alternative to a ceramic target. Magneto-optical measurements show that the prepared garnet film exhibits a strongest Faraday rotation of about 4.5°/m at a wavelength of 550 nm. It is believed that this sol-gel method for preparing the sputtering targets comprised of multi-component oxides provides a low cost target preparation process.     

An Amperometric Glucose Biosensor With Enhanced Measurement Stability and Sensitivity Using an Artificially Porous Conducting Polymer

A conducting polymer [polypyrrole (PPy)]-based amperometric biosensor fabricated on a platinum-coated nanoporous alumina electrode has been described. This fabricating process introduced artificial porosity into the PPy film, and the template pore sizes were carefully chosen to match the size of the glucose oxidase (GOx) molecule. The $hbox{PF}_{6}^{-}$-doped PPy film was synthesized with 0.05 M pyrrole and 0.1 M $hbox{NaPF}_{6}$ at a current density of 0.3 $hbox{mA/cm}^{2}$ for 90 s. Immobilization was done by physically adsorbing 5 $muhbox{L}$ of GOx on the nanoporous PPy film. Glutaraldehyde (0.1 wt.%, 5 $muhbox{L}$) was used for cross-linking. The synthesized films were characterized by using an electrochemical technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Amperometric responses were measured as a function of different concentrations of glucose at 0.4 V. Nanoporous electrodes lead to high enzyme loading, whereas the use of a cross-linking agent increased stability, sensitivity, reproducibility, repeatability, and shelf life.      

Eco-friendly method to synthesize and characterize 2D nanostructured (1,2-bis(diphenyl-phosphino)ethyl) tungsten tetracarbonyl methyl red/copper oxide di-layer thin films

Three-layer thicknesses (\({T}_{1 }= 50\), \({T}_{2 }= 75\) and \({T}_{3 }= 100\) nm) of 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethyl tungsten tetracarbonyl methyl red (DPE-W-MR) were deposited onto the CuO thin film (50 nm) to produce DPE-W-MR/CuO di-layer thin films by sol–gel spin-coating technique. The composition and the chemical structure of the as-prepared thin films were characterized using various techniques including elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, \(^{1}\hbox {H}\)-NMR and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the size and shape of the CuO nanoparticles and the fabricated thin films. The films are crystalline as evidenced by the XRD pattern and DPE-W-MR has an orthorhombic crystal system. The crystallite size was calculated from an analysis of the line broadening features using the Scherrer formula; the average crystallite sizes of DPE-W-MR/CuO di-layer thin films are 52.92, 56.24 and 72.26 nm for \({T}_{1}\), \({T}_{2}\) and \({T}_{3}\), respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis and the thermal curve of DPE-W-MR complex were studied. Optical properties of DPE-W-MR/CuO di-layer thin films are discussed. The optical band gap energies of DPE-W-MR di-layer thin films/CuO decreased (2.25, 2.1 and 1.88 eV) as the film thickness increased (from \({T}_{1}\) to \({T}_{3})\). Based on the optical results and the quantum confinement effects, the DPE-W-MR/CuO di-layer thin films may be candidates as semiconductor materials for optoelectronic devices.